The 29-year-old hasn't played for England for almost seven years, but has been given a late call-up by manager Thomas Tuchel for this week’s qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. Tuchel clearly prizes Loftus-Cheek’s physicality as he hopes to fill the gap that Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton has left behind.
His last appearance for the Three Lions came in a friendly against the United States in November 2018 after he had been part of former manager Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad that reached the semi-finals in Russia.
Speaking to the media, he reveals that he had gotten used to be being a fan of his national side rather than being a part of it which suggests that he never expected to return.
"When I ruptured my Achilles, I was on such a high (before it happened), so after that I had a hard time mentally," said Loftus-Cheek.
"But I was still young, I still had time to come back, so I wasn't too low."
"You still want to push in club football with the hope of maybe getting a sniff," he said.
"But I just completely forgot about it and was being a fan of the team instead."
The 29-year-old midfielder has been a standout performer for AC Milan in recent seasons and Tuchel knows Loftus-Cheek well from their time together at Chelsea and did not hesitate to call on him again, which shows his faith in him as he prepares for Saturday’s game against Andorra.